Only to be Broken
by LovelyFarron
Summary: They didn't think that this man loved his child any less, but they couldn't help but wonder if he saw a ghost of his wife in every step his son took, in every laugh that left his mouth. They couldn't help but wonder if he died a little every day and if there was anything left of the man they had once known.


Cartoon: The Legend of Korra

Pairing: Bolin/Korra

Genre: Romance/Angst

Rating: K+

A/N: Inspired by an Avatar Headcanon I saw on .com. I'm not sure if it would work this way exactly, the Avatar spirit passing on, but for the sake of this fanfic it does. Normally I'm a Makorra shipper but I couldn't resist writing this and I think the relationship that Korra and Bolin have is rather cute. I'm rather disappointed with how little they interacted at the end of the series though so maybe more in Book 2…? One can only hope.

Only to be Broken

The Order of the White Lotus had been dreading this day. Ever since the passing of Avatar Korra they had been on a mission to discover the new Avatar. It was a tedious job and a thankless one at that. The reactions from the homes they visited varied; sometimes they were welcomed, sometimes they were shunned. After they found the Avatar they were tasked with protecting them, guiding them, molding them into the voice of the Elements. They were the workers behind the scenes, the bearers of good news to some families and bad news to others.

Their next target, they knew without a doubt, would take their visiting as bad.

As they neared the modest little house, styled after the architecture that had been prominent during the first decade or so of Republic City, a sense of foreboding and dread filled them. They were worried about the reaction their appearance would warrant and if they would even be allowed inside to examine the child they were seeking. Surely they would be allowed, surely they would be allowed to eliminate—at least they hoped they would eliminate—this potential candidate from their list.

They didn't mind the searching much, no not at all; it was fun to see new places, taste exotic foods, meeting new people. But at the same time they had already exhausted all other families, had gone through the children that would qualify. Every single child that had been born around the time of Avatar Korra's passing had been seen, had been tested, and had failed. None of them was the Avatar. None of the Earthbending children born in that year had demonstrated any of the tell-tale signs that would indicate that they were not just an Earthbender but a Firebender, a Waterbender, and Airbender. Not a single one.

That was why they were now filled with dread. That was why their hearts were in agony and their eyes were sorrowful. The Avatar title and spirit had already caused this family enough grief; surely the Great Spirits wouldn't burden this poor family with any more responsibilities such as this? Surely they would find mercy and spare the poor man living alone with his son, the only remnant left of his beloved wife? Surely life was just not that cruel?

The sights and sounds of the small suburban area were calm and peaceful, the citizens living in the quaint houses stopping in their daily routines to marvel at the striking group traveling across their humble grounds. Doubtless they knew what they were there for. Doubtless they were wondering just why it had taken them so long to come to their little spot of heaven. Shouldn't this have been the first place they looked? Shouldn't this have been the very first spot they have suspected?

The members of the Order of the White Lotus looked around, trying to keep up the appearance of emotionless duty. All of them wished that there was some other Earthbending child here with which they could examine but alas there was none that fit the age range. Yes, there were young and talented Earthebenders living here but they were all far too old, born well within Korra's time, or far too young, born many years after her departure from this world, to fit the criteria.

The ground rumbled a bit, becoming shaky as they neared their destination, all eyes—blue, green, amber—trained upon the house they had been in nearly a decade earlier. Despite a few cracks it was still well kept on the outside, the lawn being pristine and fresh green with a few flowers—flowers of a blue crystal variety that reminded them so much of _her_—planted here and there. It was just as they had left it. Even the feeling of death and despair still hung heavy in the air, perhaps because they were there again to bring what they knew would break the family's heart.

They couldn't help but wonder if the two residents of the house knew they were coming. They couldn't help but wonder if all those years ago, on that dark and stormy night, that terrible, terrible pitch black night in which the stars didn't shine and the moon didn't glow, he had known just who it was he held in his arms. They couldn't help but wonder as green emerald eyes met a matching set in a tiny being if he saw the glorious and painful destiny laid out ahead of his son. They couldn't help but wonder as the big, strong man held his small baby if he felt _her_ in him, if he saw the beautiful caramel skin where there was light tan, if he saw coarse, dark brown hair where there was black, if he saw bulky muscles where there were tiny limbs.

They didn't think that this man loved his child any less, but they couldn't help but wonder if he saw a ghost of his wife in every step his son took, in every laugh that left his mouth. They couldn't help but wonder if he died a little every day and if there was anything left of the man they had once known.

They didn't want to do this, not one bit. They wanted to be anywhere but there, wanted to be miles away from this quiet little place. They wanted to forego their duty for once and run away; they wanted to not bring more devastation upon a family already devastated. They had hearts after all; they were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents…they knew how it felt. They knew how it felt to watch a loved one be torn away, to be separated by duty and a greater calling. And they did not wish this upon this family, not again.

The minute the oldest member's hand touched the door, the shaking stopped. The boy they were seeking must have been practicing his Earthbending skills and had perhaps felt their approach through the ground much the way the great Toph Beifong once had. His father had become quite the renowned Earthbender over the years and while he was not quite on par with the Legendary Beifongs he was still a force to be reckoned with.

Perhaps he had trained his boy to succeed where he had failed. Perhaps it was his mother's genetics that had pushed the boy to excel and surpass all expectations. Perhaps it was the spirit that resided within him, the spirit that they were seeking, that made him as gifted as he was. Whatever the case, the group of mixed Benders felt certain that the family knew they were coming, that they knew that their way of life was about to change forever.

In reality, they should have been grateful that the Order had stayed away for so long, shirking their duties and ignoring the wishes of Avatar Aang that no Avatar go unprotected for any amount of time. In truth, they should have been thanking the Order for leaving them to their own little world, locked away from the trials and tribulations that had once plagued _her_. They should be praising their

There is a click and the door opened slowly. Tired leaf green eyes, eyes that spoke of a lifetime of tragedy and sorrow, that sung songs of glorious times and times of pain, eyes that had not been alive since the day she died, peer out at them from the dark interior of the well maintained little house. The members of the Order were silent, the sudden stillness of the world becoming starkly apparent.

The residents of this little community were no longer out and about they notice. Everyone had vanished into thin air it seems. No one wanted to be there to see the once famous Probender, the other half of the Avatar's soul, the great and mighty man that could make his foes tremble at the sound of his very name, collapse in a fit of silenced agony, clutching at his heart as his breath was tore from his body, his throat constricting as tears poured down his cheeks and watered the earth below.

"Bolin…" the oldest member said, his voice scratchy and rough as he tried to suppress his own tears. He did not want to break this man, no he did not. But he had to; the will of the Gods compelled him to, the Spirit of the Avatar required him to. His mouth continued to move but no words came out. How could he do this? How could he take his son from him? How could he tear him from his side and thrust the weight of the world on his shoulders?

Bolin, who looked well beyond his years, smiled sadly and closed his eyes. His jaw was set, his mouth clamped shut. The members of the Order could see the emotions coursing through him, threatening to rip him apart as he stood there. His face was stoic, but they could see it anyway, could see it in the slight twitches of a vein here or there, in the way his eyebrows fought to draw together in a frown. There was a battle going on in this man, a battle against fate.

He knew why there were there, he knew why they had come. He also knew that his son, his precious little boy, was on the same path that his mother had walked, that his young child would not have a say in his own future. He was cursed and blessed, forever doomed to walk the planet enslaved to the people but blessed with eternal life through the reincarnation process.

He could not fight it, it was not his place. He was a mere pawn in the grand scheme of things, as they all were. He could not steal back what was stolen from him because it had never belonged to him in the first place. He had known what he had been in for when he had married her and maybe it was beyond cruel to have his son become what his mother had been, but it was not his place to protest, to cry, to fling insults into the void in hopes that some god would hear him and realize just how terribly cruel it all was. His heart, it seemed, had been made big only to be broken a thousand times.

After what seemed like an eternity passed, the green eyes opened again. There was a quiet acceptance in them, a grief like none other they had ever seen. The door opened wider and his full body came into view, just as fit and muscular as they remembered. Bits of dirt and water dirtied his clothes and there was even what appeared to be black soot on his face.

The members raised their eyes and looked at each other, surprised yet not surprised that this child was who they thought he was.

"Come on in," Bolin said, moving aside and gesturing into his home. "The Avatar is waiting for you."


End file.
